


He got you

by Mechanical_Curse



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Spoilers for Season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-27 01:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19780237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mechanical_Curse/pseuds/Mechanical_Curse
Summary: Will had a nightmare and needs Mike to comfort him. However, the reason of his distress is not what Mike expected.





	He got you

“Mike, it’s Will. Do you hear me ? Over.”

Mike rolled in his bed, grunting a little as he reached for the talkie walkie on his bedside table. He was barely awake and his hand stumbled in the dark for a few seconds before closing on it. A quick look at his clock told him that it was barely dawn.

“Yes, I hear you. Is something wrong? Over.”

“I... I had another dream, Mike. Over.”

The distress in his voice pulled Mike out of his sleepy state. Sadly, he was used to Will calling him in the middle of the night, breathless from a panic attack. It got even worse after he was possessed by the Mind Flayer. And as much as Mike’s rage-filled mind wanted nothing more than to tear apart all the creatures of the Upside Down for hurting Will, all he could really do was to be here for his boyfriend.

“I’m with you, Will, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Over.”

“No, no, no, you don’t understand, Mike, I can’t... Can I... Can I come to your place, please? I need you, please.”

He forgot to end his last sentence with the usual “over”, his voice breaking into sobs instead. Mike winced. This time it was bad.

“Shh, calm down. I know you want to see me, but you can’t come here on our own, especially not in that state. It’s still dark outside. Can you wait a few hours, and I’ll come to your house? Over.”

Just the thought of Will alone on his bike, in the woods, made his hands shake. Maybe the Demogorgon was gone, but that didn’t stop him from worrying about his boyfriend. If he disappeared on his way here, Mike would never forgive himself.

“Not on my own. Jonathan said he would take me here. Mom’s okay with it too. Over.”

This didn’t reassure Mike at all. It meant that both Joyce and Jonathan already failed at comforting Will. He could only guess what his dream had been about to leave him so shaken. Will had been through so many horrible things...

“If it’s safe for you, of course you can come Will. Over.”

“Thank you, thank you... I love you Mike, I love you so much...”

Mike wasn’t expecting those words and it left a warm, tingling feeling in his chest.

“I love you too, Will.” He whispered back.

His boyfriend was about to answer, but before he could say anything, Mike heard the faded voice of Jonathan telling his boyfriend to get ready.

“I... I need to go. I’ll be there soon. Over.” Will said in a rushed voice.

“And I’ll be waiting for you. Over.” Mike murmured back.

Before Will arrived, Mike changed out of his night clothes. While making sure not to disturb the rest of his family, he also went to the basement to arrange the covers stored there. Experience had proved him that cuddling there with Will helped to comfort his boyfriend.

He just went up the stairs when he heard knocking on the front door. He ran to open it, barefoot, almost tripping because of his impatience. Will was standing there, his eyes red and his cheeks wet from crying. Jonathan was with him, a protective arm thrown over his little brother’s shoulders. It wasn’t hard to see from Will’s heaving chest and shaking hands that he was still in the middle of an episode.

Mike didn’t bother to ask Will if he was alright. It would have been a stupid question. He reached for his boyfriend’s hand, quickly greeting him and Jonathan.

“I can’t stay here, I need to be at work on time... Take care of Will for me, please... At that point, I think you’re the only one who can.”

That left sentence left Mike a little confused. Jonathan looked tired beyond reason, and now that he was paying attention to it, there were dark circles under Will’s eyes, too. It wasn’t too hard to guess that violent nightmares certainly plagued Will all night long.

“Of course.” Mike promised, hoping he would indeed find the right words to help his boyfriend.

“Thank you. And if it really gets too bad...”

“I call your mom or Hopper, I know.”

Jonathan nodded, but it was clear it was still hard for him to say goodbye to his brother when Will still wasn’t feeling so well. He still had too leave though, even though it was clear he would certainly spend the whole day worrying about his brother.

Once they were alone, Mike took a step back so Will could come inside the house. The minute the door was closed behind him, he asked:

“Is your family already awake?”

Mike shook his head. He had been careful not to make a noise so he would be alone when his boyfriend arrived. Will had been hanging at his house all the time lately, his parents wouldn’t be surprised to find him in the basement with Mike once they would be up.

“No, they’re still as-”

Mike never got to finish. Suddenly, Will’s lips crashed on his in a mind-blowing, desperate kiss. Out of instinct, Mike put his hands on his boyfriend’s hips to keep his balance, confused as to what was happening. Will held onto his shirt tightly, clearly unwilling to let go. And no matter how pleasant it was to feel his boyfriend pressed against him, to kiss him like there were no tomorrow, Mike could tell this strange behavior was hiding something.

Once they parted, Will let his head rest on Mike’s shoulder, his breathing still uneven. Mike petted his hair gently, although he flinched when he recognized the sadly familiar sound of his boyfriend’s sobbing.

“What’s wrong?”

“I... I’m just... I’m so happy you’re here, Mike, you have no idea.”

“And I’m not going anywhere. Do you want us to move to the basement, so you can talk to me about your dream? It’ll be more comfortable than just standing here.”

Will’s voice was caught in his throat, but he nodded his approval. Mike wrapped his arms around him and gently guided him there, making sure Will wouldn’t fall off the stairs in his weakened state.

When they arrived in the basement, Mike suddenly noticed that the pawn of the Demogorgon was laying on the table, along with the dices they used to play D&D. His first reaction was to quickly hide it so that it wouldn’t trigger Will into another panic attack.

“It wasn’t him.”

“What?”

Mike quickly turned around, only to see Will was on the verge of tears again. He helped him to take his shoes off and sit between the covers as Will explained himself.

“The Demogorgon... It wasn’t him... In my dream, I mean.” Will took a big gulp of air, then he added. “It was the Mind Flayer.”

Hearing that was always bad news. Out of the two monsters, The Mind Flayer was the one who left Will the most traumatized. Sometimes, he opened up to Mike about it. Tried to explain with words the indescribable horror of having his entire body and mind violated, of feeling himself being burnt alive, of being forced to hurt his loved ones.

Mike put his arms around Will, hoping it would be enough to offer him the reassurance he needed. He always felt so powerless when he acknowledged the extent of Will’s trauma. No matter how hard he tried, he knew Will would never be as innocent and insouciant as he was before being possessed.

“He’s gone, Will. He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now.”

Will froze in his arms, and for a second, he considered telling Mike about the uneasy sensation that had crept on the back of his neck when they were climbing to the highest point of Hawkins so Dustin could try to talk with his girlfriend. But he closed his eyes and decided against it. No need to alarm everyone when he was certainly just plagued by old memories.

“You don’t understand... That dream...It... It wasn’t about me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mike, it was... It was... It was you. He was possessing you.” Will’s voice was filled with panic now, and Mike could tell he was reliving the dream as he was speaking. “You were suffering, you were fighting against it, and there was nothing I could do about it but watch...”

Will buried his face against Mike’s chest, sobs shaking his body. Of course, despite being hurt in the worst of ways several times, it was the idea of seeing someone he loved suffer that left him in shambles. He definitely recognized Will there. Always so selfless...

Mike gently lowered Will on the covers so they would both be laying down, pulling his boyfriend close to him.

“I’m fine Will. I’m not in danger, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“I know, I’m sorry, I just... I had to see you... To be sure...”

At least that explained why Will had insisted that they met as quickly as possible. However, Mike could tell that it wasn’t enough to chase his fear away. He still felt so small, so fragile in his arms...

That’s when Mike had an idea.

“Can you stay here, just for a second? I won’t be long, I promise, I just need to find something real quick.”

Will opened his mouth to protest, but he gave up when he saw the determination in Mike’s eyes. Instead, he pulled the cover over himself, grasping at it, already missing the comforting feeling of Mike’s arms around him. His boyfriend was fumbling in the basement, clearly in search of something. Eventually, he opened a drawer and a lout a shout of victory.

“I’ve got it!”

He rushed back to Will’s side, a proud grin on his face. His boyfriend frowned when he saw what he was holding.

“A lighter? What do you need it for?”

“For this.”

Without hesitation, he flicker the lighter and a small flame appeared. Mike put his own hand above it, close enough so he would feel the warmth without getting burned. Will instinctively moved away from the fire, his eyes wide with fear. He knew this was caused by the memories of his time being possessed. He took a deep breath and got closer to Mike, not wanting to allow his old demons to control him.

“See, I can stand the heat. So, not possessed by the Mind Flayer. You can touch if you want to be sure.”

He switched off the lighter, then put his still warm hand in front of Will, palm up. His boyfriend reached for it, gently caressing his fingers in the process. As he did it, Mike wouldn’t stop staring at him, and relief washed upon him when he saw him relax for the first time since he entered his house.

“He’s not here. He’s not in you.”

Will let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, his tears turning into ones of joy.

“Yes, it’s only me in there” Mike smiled, pointing a finger to his own chest. “It was a nightmare, nothing more.”

“Of course, I’m sorry I worried you for nothing, this was just stupid...”

“No, it wasn’t. Your concerns about this are never stupid, Will. We both know you are, or at least you were, connected to the Upside Down in a way no one really understood. It’s because you thought it wasn’t different from a nightmare that the Mind Flayer got you in the first place. I wouldn’t call not making the same mistake twice stupid.”

“You really think so? Even if this time I was wrong?”

“Do “friends don’t lie” and “crazy together” ring a bell, or...” Mike teased him. “Of course I mean that.”

Will bit his lips, another worry creeping into his mind.

“But what if... What if it happened for real? What if I sensed him? What if the Mind Flayer comes back?”

Mike squeezed his hand reassuringly, grounding him into the present, into the safety of their little pillow fort in the basement.

“If that happens, then we will fight him and outsmart him together, Will the Wise.”

Will chuckled at the nickname and Mike couldn’t stop himself from stealing a kiss from him. Will’s eyes lighted up, then he left the comforts of the covers, dragging his boyfriend by the hand.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Well, I thought I could show you my new cleric costume.” Will smiled, walking to a box he had brought to Mike’s basement a few days earlier.

“What? No way! I thought you were keeping it a secret from the party before the next campaign!”

“Well, I guess I can make an exception for you.” Will replied, pulling purple fabric out of box. 

He then put the wizard cloak in front of him, showing him to Mike, whose eyes were shining from enthusiasm.

“Wow, that’s awesome! Can you put it on? I’m sure it’ll look even better on you! I definitely need to get myself a paladin costume so we can match!”

Will put it over his clothes, his heart beating fast and his lips stretched in a big, happy smile. Mike almost couldn’t believe how gorgeous he looked. It was moments like this that gave him hope, that felt like he was making a difference, like he was helping to pull Will out of the Upside Down once again.

Even then, he wanted to make him feel even happier.

“What do you think of spending the morning just the two of us, then inviting the rest of the party to play D&D all together this afternoon? And you get to show them your costume.”

Will’s whole face brightened up, then he threw himself in his arms, making they both stumbled back onto the covers where they laughed while exchanging kisses.

Maybe Mike couldn’t change what Will had been through, but he could help him to live with the aftermath and still be happy.


End file.
